The al-itthad Jeddah Club, whose attacking captain Karim Benzema was granted a 3-day leave of absence for “special circumstances,” according to an AFP official on Saturday.

The al-itthad, the world’s best player in 2022, is going through a wobbly period with his Saudi team, which saw him lose the last 3 games in the domestic league, and eliminate from the club World Cup in a match in which Benzema missed a penalty.

Benzema, 36, a former Real Madrid player, was subjected to a torrent of sharp criticism, prompting him to disable his Instagram account, where 76 million people follow him.

Al-itthad  Club official, who preferred not to be named, said Benzema was “at the heart of 3 days’ leave for special circumstances.”

The 5-time Champions League winner “travelled to Madrid on Thursday night.”

The sabbatical almost set up Benzema’s absence, who has scored 9 goals in 15 league games so far, for Saturday night’s meeting.

However, the Saudi Competition Committee announced on Friday the postponement of the meeting after the al-itthad team dubbed “Brigadier” in Saudi Arabia could not travel to the city of Hail to face Al Tai, due to poor weather conditions.

Consequently, the match was postponed until 7 February with the resumption of the competition following a hiatus of more than one and a half months due to the holding of the Asian Cup in Qatar.